This invention relates generally to spring coiling machines which form springs in an automated process. More particularly, the present invention relates to spring coiling machines which are capable of selectively feeding wire from multiple feed rolls for a given machine.
The basic construction and operating principles for spring coiling machines to which the invention relates are conventional and generally parallel those set forth in representative U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,002 issued on May 31, 1938, for "Spring Coiling Machine" and U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,570, issued on Apr. 22, 1958 for "Wire Coiling Machine Having Cams for Holding the Feed Rolls Separated". The coiling machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,002 has various features which permit the operator to adjust the settings and cam-controlled movement of various tools and devices that determine the ultimate characteristics of the fabricated coil springs. The machine conventionally employs a tool holder or chuck. The chuck mounts an arbor as well as a block wire guide.
The conventional wire coiling machines to which the invention relates may have multiple feed rolls which supply wire of various diameters or qualities. For a given work order, a wire having pre-established diameter or quality is selected and the wire is fed along a path from the selected feed roll to the wire block guide. An arbor, which is mounted in the chuck, extends outwardly from the plane of the front panel of the machine. A coiling point contacts the wire as it emerges between the arbor and the block guide and deformably bends the wire into a generally helical shape.
In conventional coiling machines for which the invention represents an improvement, the machine is set up by first fixing the block guide to the chuck through a bore or opening provided for this purpose. Generally, the block guide has only one fixed position with respect to the chuck. The chuck is generally made of two pieces, with the opening for receiving the arbor being split by the mating surfaces of the two pieces. Generally, the arbor is inserted in the split opening and "eyeballed" relative to the block guide. The chuck with arbor and block guide is inserted through an opening provided in the panel near the coiling point, between clamps located immediately behind the panel. While the split chuck is still relatively loosely held in the panel, the operator must adjust the arbor at least rotationally and sometimes axially relative to the chuck, and adjust the chuck axially so that, upon clamping of the chuck, the block guide is in alignment with the particular wire to be utilized, and the arbor is properly positioned axially and aligned rotationally relative to the chuck. The arbor is secured in place as a result of the clamping of the chuck whereby the mating surfaces at the split line are urged toward each other thereby also clamping the arbor in the split opening.
This conventional procedure is quite time-consuming, especially when the set-up time is compared with production time for a short run. For longer runs, the arbor deteriorates and must be replaced or more typically reformed in order to maintain optimum performance. Conventionally, arbor replacement or repair required removal of the chuck from the machine. Thus, all the adjustment steps discussed in the preceeding paragraph would be required whether setting up the machine initially, or merely for repairing an arbor during a production run.